Their Story
by Sekai
Summary: Should Harry be the beginning and end of every story about James and Lily Potter? No. This is their story. Oneshot.


A/N: This is a rewrite of an earlier story I've got posted (it's called 'The Story of a Flower'). I'm hoping this is heaps better!

---

_Four years ago he saw her for the first time._

James Potter brushed down his robes and desperately tried to flatten his dark hair before entering the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He stopped for a second at the entrance in amazement, remembering the obvious splendour of this hall, so severely different from his former school.

Searching the student tables he noted the table where his best friend was seated and headed towards it.

James had only recently returned to this school and had just arrived from the Headmasters office were he had elected to return to Gryffindor House – into which his friend had also been chosen.

The death of James' parents was the reason for his change in schools. The Auror couple had been high up in the Society – and in trying to keep their only child safe they had transferred him from Hogwarts to a far-away school after his first year.

The danger they had tried to hide him from had recently become fatal for them. They had recently fallen victim to the new Dark Lord Voldemort's henchmen – the Death Eaters.

Not wanting to stay out of Britain any longer James had written a letter to the Headmaster – who had been a friend of his mother and father – and had asked if he could be allowed to return.

His best friends – Sirius Black – had opted for the same the second he learned of James' choice. Never having attended Hogwarts he found it a bit more difficult – but once he convinced his family they arranged matters with Dumbeldore.

Srius had arrived at the school a week ago to be introduced to the school, the teachers and the students. He would be leaving for home with the Hogwarts Express while recently-arrived James would be staying at Hogwarts to be kept safe. He no longer had the protection of a family.

James seated himself next to Sirius who immediately introduced him to Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew – two of the boys who would be sharing their dormitory with James and Sirius during the next years. James tried to place them as he shook their hands, but only vaguely remembered Remus as the little kid who'd been sick often, and Peter as the boy who had been

Vaguely James heard the Headmaster speak. Music begun to play – but James wasn't aware of it until a beautiful voice rang sounded trough the Hall. He turned slightly in his seat to face the teachers' tables.

A young girl was standing in front of them facing the students. James guessed her to be fourteen or fifteen years old. With dark red hair plaited to one side and wearing the simple black school robes she looked oddly ordinary, but as she was singing she seemed to him to be the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes upon.

Her voice was beautiful.

As she opened her eyes – which she had kept close in the blushing beginning of the song – he gasped. They were stunningly green.

As suddenly as the song had begun it ended. And the girl left the stage with a small smile towards Dumbledore, and joined her friends further down the Gryffindor table. James applauded with the rest of the Hall.

It wasn't until he'd crawled into his bed in his old dormitory that he realised he hadn't even noticed which song she was singing.

---

_Eight years ago they crossed paths – and they didn't even know it._

The new first-years had been chosen by the ancient hat and had been seated at their appropriate tables.

To the amazement of the whole lot of eleven-year-olds the food suddenly appeared from nowhere.

As they ate and talked they learned histories and facts about the school from the older students throughout.

When finally the deserts were finished and the Headmaster rose and reminded everyone that the Forbidden Forest was forbidden - and the caretaker reminded them of the list of forbidden items, "Which," One of the older students mumbled, "He seems to have forgotten is not permitted to show students. He seems to think _someone_ might get ideas." - the Headmaster announced that it was time for the school song prompting a groan in response from one of the younger teachers, perfectly audible from her seat at the teachers-tables to the furthest corners of the hall. Professor Dumbledore sent her an amused glance and continued.

With a flick of his wand the text wrote itself in the air with golden bonds. The whole school drew a simultaneous breath and then everyone began singing the school song in the melody of their choosing. Lily Evans, one of the new Gryffindors, failed to even remember a tune and made up a melody of her own. She began singing ever so softly, but her voice rose in strength and volume as the song proceeded.

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air  
Dead flies and bits of fluff._

As she was singing – with her eyes fastened determinately on the lyrics that where shaped in the air – the people closest to her let their own singing fade to listen to her. She had a beautiful voice, and as the circle of listners grew they held their breaths in silence.

Soon most of the school had silenced – and she, caught up in the song, remained oblivious.

Her small voice, which normally would have drowned among the many others, now sounded clear between the stonewalls of the Hall. Her eyes were focused at the lyrics while her mind was focused on keeping the tune. She unknowingly held the full attention of over a thousand students, nearly fifty teachers and ghosts, as well as the painted people who had crammed themselves into the scattered pictures that lined the hall.

_So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best we'll do the rest and learn until our brains all rot!_

She finished and let her gaze drop from the lyrics resulting in her beginning to blush furiously as she realised everyone had listened to her.

And so Lily Evans began her magical education.

---

_Seven years ago they were given the opportunity of getting to know each other – three years before they even met._

Lily Evans was called to the Headmasters office.

Terrified the young girl trailed behind MacGonnagal.

What could she possibly have done? Had she done anything? Had anybody put any blame on her for something they had done?

So distressed was she that she missed the whole trip, and was truly surprised when she realised she was standing in front of Dumbledore.

He gestured towards a chair, and she seated herself. He then proceeded to sort some of the papers on his desk. Finally he leaned back in his chair and fixed his blue gaze on the tiny redheaded, green-eyed girl in front of her.

She was visibly shaking.

His eyes twinkled as he turned to a parchment on his desk.

"Do you know what this is miss Evans?" He asked. She shook her head, red hair bouncing about her face, green eyes gleaming hugely.

"This is your exam-results." Dumbledore said lightly, and he could only imagine what had to be chiming inside her head at this moment. Things like '_You've failed!'_ and '_You're so bad you've been expelled!'_ and '_I knew I was a muggle!'_ probably flew by repeatedly, along with things like '_I knew I didn't belong here...'_

He smiled at her.

"These are one of the highest scores ever achieved by a first year." He said lightly and fixed his gaze at her, waiting for his words to sink in. Lily looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"I-I-" She began shakingly. "I mean—that can't _be_!"

"Oh, I assure you it can." Dumbledore said. "And now we were wondering if you would consider being transferred to start your third year next September first." Lily looked at her Headmaster, her mouth opening and closing in silent wonder.

"Of course!" She said at last. "If you think I'd do better a year ahead, I'll do it!" Dumbledore beamed in response.

"Wonderful!" He exclaimed. "Please expect some extra homework over the vacation. With a little time for catching up I'm sure you'll do brilliantly! McGonnagal will arrange your transfer immediately."

McGonnagal stepped forward and nodded, and then brought Lily out again. She walked as if in a daze back to the Common Room where her friends spared no means in figuring out what had happened in the Headmasters office.

---

_Four years ago she saw him for the first time._

Lily dropped into her seat, blushing vividly red.

She normally didn't blush this dramatically, but during the song she'd caught the eye of a strange boy sitting at the Gryffindor table.

She leaned back a bit and peeked up the table. There he was, sitting next to the new boy, Sirius Black, opposite Remus Lupin, her fellow prefect, and his friend Peter Pettigrew. She frowned before turned back to her friends. Who was he? But as she was drawn into their conversation she forgot about him for a while.

All around the great hall there was several conversations that were quite similar, simply because they were about the same person - Lily Evans.

"Wow, Evans is looking good this year," someone would mumble to his friend, who would nod and agree.

Another would perhaps choose to say "Wow, pity there's no girls like that in our house." where in response his buddies would come with mumbled agreements, while the girls within hearing range would huff and send a glare towards Lily and the Gryffindor table.

At that table the conversations were lighter. A "Go Lily!" could be heard, as well as, from Lupins side.

"That's Lily Evans, probably the best looking girl in the year. Nobody's got hair like that or eyes like hers – and no one can sing like her, that's for sure!" Remus said to Sirius and James.

"She's unaware of it though," Peter said. "She skipped second year and is certain everyone would go for everyone else before her because of it.

"She's feisty that one," Sirius said, clearly remembering some event. But James slipped out of the conversation as his eyes lingered on that special girl with the vivid hair that made her stand out in any gathering, just waiting and longing for those glimpses of green he could see when she turned her head.

---

_Four years ago they looked into their eyes for the first time thinking there might be something there._

Lily hugged her mother and her father goodbye, and watched them leave the pub. Then she dragged her magic trunk out to the back and then out in the busy street of Diagon Alley. After exchanging some money in Gringotts she found her way past Crystal Avenue and into Wiffleton Place. There she got a hotel room in one of the hotels leaving her luggage behind as she headed over to Tywinton Square. She bought a basket of strawberries at one of the stands and slumped down at the edge of the huge fountain.

The sun was blazing, and it was extremely hot, and after a while Lily was seriously considering diving into the clear waters the fountain pumped out.

"Hello," A voice said, and a boy dumped down next to her.

"Hello Sirius," Lily said with a grin and offered him a couple of strawberries.

During his first days at Hogwarts Sirius had been flirting with her non-stop. But after she had told him off a couple of times - and then hexed him thoroughly - he had decided she would have to become the little sister he'd never had. And to Lily's neverending annoyance he would hex anyone who even looked at Lily the wrong way, even though she was fully capable of doing that herself.

"So what you doing here?" He asked her.

"Well my mum and dad are gone on a trip to Spain. It's their twentieth wedding anniversary, and they got it in present from my grandparents. So I'm staying here for the next couple of weeks - over at The Kneazle Hotel in Wiffleton. What about you?" Sirius let his gaze wander about the crowd.

"If I had had my way I would have gone straight here after school was over, but my dad forced me to me home for three weeks, then sent me to my aunt, uncle and cousins, but now finally I'm here. Left my bags with James over at the Cauldron, and I bet he's pissed. He can't make himself to leave it behind so he'll drag it all the way over here.

"Look, here we've got him!" Sirius shaded his eyes with one hand and pointed towards the little alleyway between Diagon Alley and Crystal Avenue. James was positively fuming. He was dragging two trunks and a couple of bags.

"Sirius," Lily scoffed, "We'll have to help him!"

"No way I'm dragging that trunk, it's seriously heavy. And if I get too close to James I fear he'll wring my neck!" Lily rose anyway and dragged Sirius with her.

"Hello James!" She smiled and dragged her wand out of her pocket.

"What you gonna do?" Sirius asked.

"You can't do magic!" James said.

"Oh huff!" Lily said. "There's so much magic going on that the ministry probably won't detect it. But even if they do its no problem. I've got a special agreement with McGonnagal and the Headmaster that says that I can do magic, so there!" She pointed her wand at the luggage and levitated it.

"You've got a special agreement? Why?" Sirius asked. Lily looked at him for a second, then turned away.

"Well," She began. "It's all got to do with Voldemort." Both James and Sirius winced at the name

"My family has been involved in attacks three times when I have been away on school. It's not neccisairly a concois ploy by the Death Eaters – but it's still too many times. And seeing as I might get involved I got a permission. Thankfully it hasn't been needed so far, Voldemort has kept away." Lily glanced up at the boys in time to see them wince for the third time.

"What's wrong with you? Do you fear his _name_?" James and Sirius nodded.

"Dumbledore said this would happen. But you just remember that fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself, so please. If you ever say 'you-know-who' in my presence, I will say 'no I don't know who', if you say 'he-who-must-not-be-named' in my presence I'll ask 'why not?'" She huffed and started walking down the street with the luggage floating in front of her.

"Where do you want these?" She asked.

"The Kneazle." Sirius and James said and followed her.

Lily dumped the trunks next to the reception desk in the Kneazle and tucked her wand back into her pocket.

James and Sirius checked in, and Lily beaconed the trunks to float peacefully after her up the stairs to James and Sirius' floor. Lily then let the trunks drop down leaving it up to the boys to get them into the rooms. She followed Sirius into his room and flung herself down at his bed. After Sirius had got his luggage safe and secure he dropped down next to her. A minute later James entered the room as well.

"Wanna play some quidditch?" Lily asked, "There's a children's field in the backyard here." James and Sirius agreed eagerly and they got their brooms and headed down to the field after borrowing some balls from the receptionist.

They had to face reality as they stood in the centre of the smallish field: they were only three. That left the snitch and the bludgers out of the game. In the end they decided on playing chasers against keeper, and rotating. But after a while they got bored with that, and landed on the lawn.

"Where can we find another, what, three players at least?" They found no answer to this.

"Hey!" Lily suddenly said. "There's Adrian, perhaps he'd like to play?" The boys glanced over at the boy.

"Worth a shot." James mumbled and they hurried over to him.

"Hello Lily." Adrian Prewett smiled.

"Hi Adrian, we were trying to play some quidditch over there, but it seems like we're a couple of players short. Would you like to play?"

"I would have," Adrian said, and lifted a bandaged hand. "But I can't grip a broom with this hand."

It turned out that his sister's kneazle had bitten him quite badly when he tried to take her sons out for a broom ride. The problem was that they were only two and four years old. But he said that he had met a couple of Lily's friends out in Crystal Avenue.

Lily left the boys and went in search for her friends.

Not long after she found them at the huge ice-cream parlour in Tywinton Square. They were spending the rest of the vacation here as well and had left their luggage in a safe-deposit box.

Lily bought an ice cream for herself, and one for James and one for Sirius. Then they went to the safe-box, and Lily levitated the luggage over to The Kneazle, where the girls picked up their brooms and went out back.

Sirius was longing to have an ice cream in the blazing sun, and gratefully accepted the chocolate, vanilla and lemon flavoured ice cream topped with a dancing ice mouse. James thanked Lily for his strawberry, chocolate and hazelnut ice cream with chocolate frog, and politely asked who her companions were. Lily smiled and turned to her friends.

"This is April." She said and pointed at a girl with short, curly brown hair and dark blue eyes.

"This is Julie." She said and indicated towards a girl with clear Chinese inheritance, who had straight black hair and blue eyes.

"And this is Alice." The last girl had wavy blond hair and grey eyes.

"April, Julie and Alice, meet James Potter and Sirius Black." They five people shook hands and greeted each other. But just as they were mounting their brooms, ready to play, they heard a voice calling for them. They turned and found that Remus Lupin and Frank Longbottom were running towards them with a broom each.

"Can we join?" Remus asked.

"Of course." Lily said, "But now we'll have to rearrange our teams. What about girls against boys?" She asked. The boys agreed.

"For the girls side, we'll have Lily as seeker, April as beater, Julie as chaser and me as a keeper." Alice said.

"And for our side," James said, "We'll have Frank as the keeper, me as the chaser, Remus as the beater, and Sirius as the seeker."

When they had mounted their brooms, Adrian volunteered to be a grounded referee. The eighth players shot into the air and Adrian released the balls...

A few hours later the two teams gloomily seeped into the Knezle Hotel - each and every one of them sodding wet to the core.

They had had almost an hour of perfect quidditch-weather, but after it rapidly clouded over the hot and gleaming sun was replaced by heavy summer-rain. This didn't dampen the players' spirits in the least, but the dirty playing that evolved after the referee had fled definitively did.

It had taken the joint effort of Adrian, Peter, the couple who owned the hotel, as well as their three sons and two daughters to bring the players inside.

Unfortunately the score was a tie, leaving the players willing to settle the score in about any way possible.

With James, Sirius, Remus and Frank on one side and Lily, April, Alice and Julie on the other side the intensity was high. In the end they couldn't stand each other's presence, and while the boy-team, along with Peter and Adrian, settled themselves around a table and started playing cards the girls took the opportunity to flee the hotel.

Once outside in the almost empty streets of this magical haven the girls relaxed. The rain had finally stopped, but since it was getting late there weren't many people there. They easily found a café with a wide variety of coffees and ice creams, and stayed there for a couple of hours.

When they left it was even darker.

A mere minute later they stumbled upon a chance they couldn't let slip.

The four quidditch-boys were walking around the now empty Tywinton Square obviously looking for them. The girls quickly hid behind some columns. Lily got hold of her wand and was soon swirling it about in intricate waves mumbling foreign words under her breath. Soon several snowballs had appeared out of the moisture in the air. The three other girls grinned wickedly at Lily eternally happy that they had such a brilliant which for a friend.

Lily conjured enough snowballs for her friends before sneaking closer towards the boys. A clutter of snowballs was hovering near the tip of her wand ready to shoot off towards a suiting target. When close enough, but still at an appropriate distance Lily sent the balls hurtling off towards the unsuspecting boys.

Soon shrieks and swearing erupted, and when they had silenced Lily was gone. The boys scooped up the splatter of snow and hid in the shadows of the columns. Not well enough for soon they were pelted with snow from all around. Attack is the best defence it is said. And soon the girls had to flee from the merciless attacks of the boys. War had erupted.

The battle was still going strong when Lily sneaked of to catch her breath. She entered a little alley in the Avenue, and leaned heavily against what she thought was the wall. But as it yelped as she leaned towards it she hastily jumped away. She brought up her lit wand, and it illuminated the a face.

"James," She hissed, "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorted in a hushed voice. Lily leaned towards the opposite wall, confident that there weren't humans lurking in those shadows as well.

"Escaping the battle of course," she muttered.

"Me too." James said.

"Except that with you here it won't be much battling to do, since you're the one who conjured all the snow. How did you do that really?" Lily grinned.

"With a simple spell created by an Icelandic witch who moved to Egypt. I guess she missed the snow," Lily answered simply.

"My hands are freezing from that snow, by the way. Couldn't you make warm snow?" Lily glared at him, but grabbed his hands.

"Let me," she whispered, and while holding his hands gently with her left hand she warmed them with a stream of hot air from her wand.

"That better?" She asked after a while. He nodded. They now stood in the middle of the alley, closer than they intentionally had intended. They could feel each other's hot breaths, and their skin tingled where their hand met. They looked down on their clasped hands, and up into each other's eyes.

Warm brown med sparkling green.

They moved even closer still, their breaths slightly ragged, but if it was from the exhaustion from the battle or something entirely different, neither of them knew.

Lily's eyelids fluttered close as they both tilted their heads slightly and in only a moment their lips would meet. But just then a snowball swished past them and hit a garbage-bin with a loud bang.

And the moment was lost as their friends came sliding in after it screaming with glee...

---

_One year ago all they saw was each other._

James and Lily were sitting together.

They had had an enjoyable evening with much laughter and reminiscing about the part years. Talking about their sixth year when James had asked Lily to be his girlfriend – and Lily refused. She'd pushed him away during that year. And his following after only lengthened the gap. It was only after he'd given up that Lily realised that she only feared accepting him because he was the only one who could break her heart if she gave it to him. And they lovingly talked about their seventh year when Lily had asked James out – and he accepted.

Suddenly James slid down from the bench they were sitting on, and kneeled in front of Lily.

"I remember the first time I saw you.

"Standing on that stage singing out your song ever so boldly, every note ringing out as pure and clear as the most innocent of the angels, as powerful as the mightiest lions roar. And I knew instantly that there could be no one else but you.

"But still I walked away from you, thinking that you'd never have me. And that - if there ever would be a time when such a thing were possible - you'd be taken and would be perfectly happy. I mean - how could a so heavenly and divine creature as you be left alone for even a single moment.

"But Destiny was kind to me, and I found you on that stage again, singing out your song as if your very life depended on it - putting your heart and your soul and your mind into it, like you always do. And as your voice filled my ears, the sight of you left me breathless, in desperate need of the touch of your hand, the smell of your hair and the taste of your lips.

"You let me into your life again, and my love for you has only grown since that day, and it will continue to grow every day, even beyond the days of our life. But my life could not be complete without you by my side.

"But would you grant me the gift of you? A gift so heavenly and out of grasp that a man should fear to think of it, fear that one word that can wreck a human heart within a single beat. Still I will dare to think of it, and I will dare to ask it. Knowing that in my heart I love you more than life itself.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

---

_In the present day they belong to each other._

On their wedding day James and Lily were the happiest they had ever been.

She saw him standing up by the altar waiting for her with a smile on his lips and with smiles in his eyes. As she approached him he reached out a hand and welcomed her.

He watched her come in her beautiful white dress with hair flaming red and eyes smilingly twinkling. And she came to him as he reached out.

Many who were present remembered that first evening where she was standing up front in the Great Hall. Remembered that first evening when James saw her for the first time

Those who knew them – and had been there to observe everything – had smilingly wondered what would have happened if Lily's voice had been less magnificent.

Could another event have managed to bring together the two powerful people who became parents to the one who led to the first fall of the Dark Lord?

Music, after all, is magic greater than you would ever realise, greater, in the end, then the magic of any Dark Lord.

_Fin._


End file.
